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Add to Preferred SourcesWhile nearly 10 million people across Yemen remain “just a step away from famine”, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator has spoken of his deep concern that a large food storage depot on the outskirts of the crucial port city of Hudaydah, has been out of bounds since last September.
“Enough grain to feed 3.7 million people for a month has sat unused and possibly spoiling in silos at the mills for more than four months”, said Mark Lowcock, in a statement on the depot, known as the Red Sea Mills. “No-one gains anything from this, but millions of starving people suffer”.
The World Food Programme (WFP) alone, has 51,000 metric tons of wheat stored there, a quarter of its in-country wheat stock and enough to feed 3.7 million people for a month. WFP has been unable to access the Mills since September 2018 because of fighting.
Last month two silos in the Government-controlled area were hit by mortar fire, probably destroying enough grain to feed hundreds of thousands of people for a month.
Access to the mills grows progressively more urgent as the longer they remain inaccessible, and the risk of grain spoilage is growing each day.
Citing security concerns, forces affiliated with the Houthi rebels, formally known as Ansar Allah, have, to date, not allowed the UN to cross front lines to access the mills.
According to Mr. Lowcock, discussions continue with all parties. “I appreciate the genuine efforts that have been made on all sides to find a solution”, he said, “but it remains elusive”. He implored all parties “to finalize an agreement and facilitate access to the mills in the coming days”.
Meanwhile, the UN and its humanitarian partners are scaling up to reach 12 million people with emergency food assistance – a 50 percent increase over 2018.
“We can save huge numbers of people, most of them in areas controlled by Ansar Allah” concluded Mr. Lowcock, “But we need more help to do that from the authorities who control these areas”.
Original source: UN News
Published on 07 February 2019